Amusement device



S. LIUNI.

AMUSEMENTDE'VIGE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1 2.1921.

1,417,754.. Patented May 30, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

S. LlUNl.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12. 1921.

Patented May 30, 1922.

3 S HEETS-SHEET 2.

S. LIUNI.

AMUSEMENT DEVI'CE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1921.

' 1,417,754. Patented May30,1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SALVATORE LIUNI, 0E PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TORAYMOND KOON AND ONE-THIRD TC) DOMENIGO CAIMI, BOTH OF PHILADEL- PHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1922.

Application filed September 12, 1921. Serial No. 500,118.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SALVATORE LIUNI, asubject of the King of Italy (having declared his intention of becominga citizen of the United States), residing at Philadelphia, in the countyof Philadelphia and State -of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Amusement Devices, of which the following isa specification.

One object of my invention is to provide a novel amusement device whichcan be used to afford pleasure and as such is adapted for use inamusement parks for transporting passengers in a novel manner or it canbe made on a smaller scale and used as a toy.

Another object is to make the device of my invention of a strong anddurable construction.

These objects, and other advantageous ends which will be describedhereinafter I attain in the following manner, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevationillustrating a device made in accordance with my invention,

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional elevation illustrating said device,

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic top plan view illustrating my improved deviceshowing the carriage in its supporting position on the runway,

Figure 4- is a section taken on the line 4-4. of Figure3, 1

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing certain of the featuresof my invention, and

Figure 6 is a section 66 of Figure 5-.

7 Referring to the'drawings, 7 represents a runway having an elevatedtrough 8 which taken on the line is supported on a trestle structure 9.This a steel covered ball is mounted on the axle ll between the bearingsas clearly shown in Figure 2. This roller is adapted to roll on theupper surface 16 of the trough 8. The tower 11 includes four rigidsuspension rods 1'? which depend to a position below the roller 15 andat their lower ends these sus pension rods have secured thereto weights18 which form counter-balances. As viewed from Figures 1 and 2, it willbe noted that the suspension rods 17 flare downwardly with respect tothe ball roller and the ball roller is centrally disposed with respectto the weights 18. The tower 11 is preferably provided with a number ofbalconies 19 and if the device is used in a pleasure park or the likepersons may occupy spaces in the balconies during the movement of thevehicle as will be described hereinafter.

The trough 8 is preferably provided with inwardly extending flangesQO atits top and the bearings 12 serveto support wheels 21 which extend underthe flanges 20 but are i normally spaced therefrom. ,Thesewheels 21serve as guide rollers to operate in contact with the sides of thetrough to insure proper guidance of the vehicle over the runway and Ialso preferably provide other guide wheels 22 for engagementwith thesurface 16 of the trough to limit the tilting movement of the tower inthe direction of the length of the trough; it beingnoted' that theguidewheels 21 serve as limiting means for the tilting of the towertransversely to the length ofthe runway and also to limit the swervingmovement of the tower in substantially horizontal planes. The axle l thas brake drums 23 secured thereto and brake bands 24 engage the drums23.; These brake bands may be connected with any suit able poweroperating device and I have illustrated a lever 25 which when actuatedwill cause the brake bands to frictio'nally engage the drums and therebystop the rotation of the axle 14 and roller 15.

A sprocket wheel. 26 is secured to the axle 14 and is connected by achain 27 to a sprocket wheel 28'; said sprocket wheel-28 suitablesource.

shaft 33 is operatively connected by beveled gears 34 and 35 to anupright shaft 36. This shaft 36 extends beyond the top of the tower andsupports a ball 37 having thereon a number of electric lamps 38. It willthus be noted that when the axle 14 is rotated that the ball 37 will berotated and electric current can be supplied in any suitable manner soas to illuminate the lamps 38.

A lever 39 is slidably mounted on the shaft 29 and has a clutch portion40 adapted to be moved into engagement with a clutch portion 41 on thesprocket wheel 28 so that by moving the lever toward the sprocket 28 soas to engage the clutch portions 40 and 41 the sprocket 28 can berotated and the axle 14 and ball roller 15 can also bev rotated.

The carriage starting from the plane portion 42 of the runway 7 willroll by gravlty down the incline 43 of the runway and owing to theinertia will travel up the slight inclines and down the declines of therunway throughout the entire path prescrlbedby the runway. If for anyreason the vehicle should stop the roller 15 can be actuated through themedium of the lever 39 or other When the vehicle reaches the lowermostportion 44 it can bemoved up the incline 45 to the plane portion 42either by the lever 39 or by any; other suitable hoisting means.

It will be noted that the weight of the counter-balances 18 is equal tothe weight of the balance of the carriage 10' and these counter-balancesare preferably made in the form of pointed cylinders which can be metalcovered and filled with sufficient sand to properly balance themechanism. During the movement of the carriage the ball roller permitsthe tower to tilt in various directions as is obvious from theconstruction illustrated and above described. However, thecounter-balances are sufficiently heavy to return or move the carriageto its upright position after having tilted due to thevarious'undulationsof' the trough. The va rious guide wheels serve asadditional means T and may be provided to limit the tilting movement ofthe device during its movement over the runway.

' As previously stated if it is desired to check the movement the samecan be done by operating the lever 25.

.While I have'described my invention as taking a particular form, itwill be understood that the various parts of my invention may be changedwithout departing from the spirit thereof, and hence I do not llmrtmyself to the precise construction set forth, but consider that I am atliberty 'to make such changes and alterations as fairly come within thescope of the append- 1 ed claims.

Having thus described myinvention, what I'claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. A device of the character describedincluding means providing a runway having an undulated upper surface; acarriage having a single ball adapted to run on said surface of therunway; and counter-balancing means for said carriage; substantially asdescribed.

2. A device of the character described including means providing arunway having an .undulated upper surface; a carriage having a singleball adapted to run on said surface of the runway; and counter-balancingmeans'for said carriage, said carriage including a tower projectingabove said ball roller; substantially as: described.

3. A device of the character described in cluding means providing arunway; a carriage having a single ball roller adapted to run on saidrunway; and counter-balancing means for said carriage; substantially asdescribed. v

4. A device of the character described including means providing arunway; a carriage having a single ball roller adapted to run on saidrunway, said carriage having a tower extending. above said ball; andcounter- V ancing means depending from said carriage to a position belowsaid ball roller, said counter-balancing means including weights spacedapart at both sides of the runway; substantially as described.

6. A device of the character described ineluding means providing arunway having an undulated upper surface; a carriage having a singleball roller adapted to run on said surface of the runway; andcounter-balancing weights for saidcarriage located'on both sides of saidrunway normally forward and tothe rear of a vertical plane extendingthrough the axis of saidroller transversely to the length of saidrunway; substantially as described. Y

7 A device of the character described including a runway in the form ofa trough; a carriage including a single ball roller adapted to run onthe upper surface of the bottom of the trough; and means locatedbemovement of said carriage in the direction of the length of saidrunway during movement of said roller over said runway; substantially asdescribed.

9. A device of the character described ineluding a runway having anundulated upper surface; a carriage including a roller adapted to run bygravity on said undulated surface of the runway; independent means 10operative to move said roller; and means for

